1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to arrow fletchers of the type having a frame, a shaft support, a nock receiver and a clamp for holding a fletching adjacent the arrow shaft. More particularly, the present invention is addressed to an arrow fletcher capable of securely holding arrow shafts of different diameters, having an indexing head for locating fletchings at desired angular relationships about the shaft, and having a base quickly detachable from a mounting bracket coupled to a supporting surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Archery is receiving ever increasing popularity as a sport. The recent development of new technology in the fields of bows, sighting instruments and arrow supports has increased the accuracy of archers and lowered the cost of participation in the sport. At the same time, the fletching of arrows as both a hobby and a vocation has experienced significant growth. Fletching involves the attachment of the feathers or vanes to the arrow to stabilize its flight.
While many archers are content to purchase standard arrows already fletched from the factory, many have developed an interest in fletching their own arrows. At one time, this could be accomplished with only a limited degree of precision, as the bows and sights of that time correspondingly could only take limited advantage of any precision and consistency in the arrow.
One area of archery technology which has expanded the options of the fletcher is the arrow rest. From arrow rests which initially accommodated only a standard 120.degree. fletching interval with the cock or index fletch extending horizontally, arrow rests now include springs, rollers, trailing arms and other instruments which permit a number of different angular relationships between the fletchings. For example, arrows may now include four fletchings instead of three, or even six fletchings in some applications. Moreover, the precise placement of the fletchings has become more critical as technology has provided for ever more accurate bows and sights. The fletcher receives arrow shafts which are straighter and more evenly balanced, and the fletchings or vanes (fletchings being generally used herein to encompass both feather fletchings as well as solid plastic vanes) are precisely ground and trimmed to provide uniformity.
As a result, a number of arrow fletchers have been developed for holding a fletching in fixed relationship to the shaft. Some of these arrow fletchers hold the shaft on a frame and receive an arrow nock therein with clamps which allow for attaching fletchings individually, while others are jigs which provide a compound clamp for attaching three fletchings at once. In most instances, an opening is provided for holding the shaft. In some instances, a rotatable index head is provided with indexing stops corresponding to pre-determined, non-adjustable fletching locations relative to the shaft. However, to change the fletching set up to provide different spacings, additional fletchings, or to accommodate helical fletchings has proven impossible or required expensive and elaborate conversion kits which were time consuming to install. In addition, there has been an absence of arrow fletchers which provide complete flexibility to the user in choosing his own set up and being able to consistently replicate that set up. Another disadvantage of prior art fletchers has been their difficulty in accurately and securely holding arrow shafts of different diameters in place. An archer may desire shafts of different dimensions for different shooting situations, different bow weights, or other factors of personal preference. Certain "universal" arrow fletchers have a diverging notch which supports the shaft according to its diameter. However, these shaped diverging notches require that the clamp mount be adjusted for each differently sized shaft to properly center the fletching on the shaft.
These diverging notch type fletchers also result in an occasional tendency of the shaft to slide up and out of the notch, resulting in an improper fletch. While some fletchers have a self-centering feature, these are jigs which clamp 3 fletches at the same time and the pre-set clamp angles are fixed. Further, separate, precisely positioned alternate openings are not provided to securely clamp a number of sizes of different arrow shafts. Many of the frame type prior art fletchers are configured to mount directly to a bench or other supporting surface. This provides a degree of rigid support and makes the fletcher easier to use. This is because most fletchers will tip over with a full length shaft and a hunting or practice point. Thus, most arrow fletchers have mounting holes for receiving screws to mount them to a work table or bench. In many cases, the mounting holes are difficult to access, and many users do not want to permanently mount the arrow fletcher to a work bench in order to free the space for alternative use.